Table support



May 12, 1959 F. sP|Tzl-:R

TABLE SUPPORT Filed vMay 26., 1958 United States Patent 2,886,386. TABLE SPPORT Frank Spitzer, Inglewood, fCalif., assigner to Storall orporation, Inglewood, 'Calif a corporation of Ohio Application May 26,' 1953, Serial No; 737,813'- 1 Claim. (Cl. 311'1') This invention relates to atable or shelf unitv for arnovable barbecue brazier having afire bowl and a tripod support. l

It has long been desired to provide a table or shelflike unit for a mobile barbecue brazier which would form or supply a work surface adjacent to the grill of the barbecue. Further, the table or work surface formingfthe unit should be supported by the brazier itself and not merely an auxiliary unit separate from the brazier.

Table-like members have been heretofore proposed which were in part supported by the br'aie'r 'and in part by separate pedal` or leg units engaged with the ground or supporting surface for the brazier. These members were satisfactory in that they provided' a workv surface convenient to the brazier but unnecessarily complicated movement or 'storage ofthe brazier.

The table supporter the present nventionun'ot only provides a very stable andrigidly supported shelf 'or table unit, but further obvi'ates complications of the `previously used table or shelf units -en'iploying ase'parate leg or pedal member for partial support. This is vaccomplished by the present invention through the useof novel support structure which eliminates all separate support members. To this end, the support structure of the table or shelf unit of the present invention is in turn supported wholly by the brazier. As the shelf or table unit herein disclosed is supported wholly by the brazier itself, the use of the table or shelf unit in no way complicates the use or storage of the brazier. Thus the brazier may be moved about freely and without the necessity of rst dismantling the shelf or table unit in whole or in part.

In the now preferred embodiment of the present invention, the work surface is formed by a planar member contoured at one side to conform to the generally circular configuration of the upper portion of the fire bowl of the brazier. The planar member carries a pair of spaced apart support members directly engageable with the wall of the lire bowl of the brazier for pendantly supporting the brazier member with its top or work surface forming a surface substantially coextensive with the grill of the brazier.

To complete the support of the planar member, one end of a brace link is pivotally connected to the under side of the planar member at the outer edge thereof, while the opposite end is supplied with a clamp element to be engaged with the one leg of the tripod support of the brazier. The clamp member is preferably so formed as to be constricted by a single threaded element, which also serves to fix or lock the clamp at the desired or necessary angular position of adjustment relative to the brace link to hold the planar member in a horizontal position.

In use, the clamp element is fitted about the one leg unit of the brazier and moved longitudinally thereof to an approximate final location, after which the bowl-engaging support elements are engaged over the wall of the bowl of the brazier. As the brace link is pivotally connected at the one end to the underside of the planar member, the latter with slight adjustment of the clamp member if necessary, can now be moved to the desired position in which 2,886,386 Patented May l2, 1959 ICC the top` surface thereof is horizontal. Once the top surface is located in the desired spatial relationship, the single fastener can be tightened to constrict the clamp elements about the leg of the tripod structure, as well as to fix or locate the clamp element in the proper or necessary angular position relative to the brace link.

The table unit of the present invention once supported as above described, provides a stable Work surface convenient to the grill of thebarbecue but in no way complicates the use or mobility of the same. If it is desired to store the brazier, and storage space is a factor, it is a simple operation to remove the clamp member from the engaged leg to permit complete removal of the table unit from the brazier. i Other features and Vadvantages of the present invention will be apparent froml the following detailed description, particularly when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a barbecue brazier fitted with aV table or shelf unit of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view, partly in elevation and partly in section, taken in the direction of arrow 2 of Figure l; Y

Figure 3 `is asection taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of Figure l.

The table or shelf unit 10 of the present invention, referring nowto the accompanying drawing and particularly to Figure l thereof, is adapted for use with a tripod supported 'charcoal brazier `including a re bowl 11, the tripod support being provided by twoV angularly extending legs 12A and 13 to which` are fitted wheels 14 to enable the brazier to `be rolled thereon; and further by a single forwardly disposed downwardly extending leg 15. The re .bow-1 11-of the brazier is constructed as a relatively thinwalled vessel upon which lmay beset, as shown, a grill 16 and a hood 18 which includes a motor driven spit assembly 19.

In the now preferred form of the table unit 10, a planar member 20 is contoured at one marginal edge 21 thereof to correspond with the generally circular configuration of the upper section of the fire bowl 11. This table unit 10 is supported upon the brazier bowl edge 22 by means of a pair of support elements 23 which are spaced apart to provide two point horizontal support for the planar member 20 on the rim 22 of the brazier. These support elements 23 are secured to the underside of the planar member 20 by some suitable fastener means such as the screws 24 shown. Each element 23 is formed with a reversely bent portion 25 to provide a hook-like element 26 which can be engaged over the rim 22 of the re bowl of the brazier. Desirably, the one leg of each hook-like element 26 is elongated to extend down into the fire bowl and is formed with a tapped opening 27 to enable a thumb set screw 28 to be threaded into the opening to clamp the element 26 securely to the rim 22 in the manner shown in Figure 4 of the drawing.

To complete the support of the planar member 20 of the table unit 10, a brace link 30 formed, in the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, by a tubular strut is employed to rigidly interconnect the planar member 20 and the brazier. The one end of the tubular strut is flattened to snugly lit between two spaced ears 31 of a bracket 32 fixed to the underside of the planar member 20 adjacent the marginal edge opposite to the contoured marginal edge 21. The ears 31 are formed with alined openings passing a pivot pin 33 rotatably received in an opening formed in the flattened end portion of the strut forming the brace link 30. The opposite ends of the pin are peened or otherwise enlarged to prevent axial movement thereof sufficient to bring about disengagement of the brace link 30 from the bracket 32.

The opposite end of the tubular strut forming the brace link 30 is also flattened and formed with a tapped opening receiving the threaded shank 34 of a thumb or wing bolt 35. The threaded shank 34 is passed freely through alined openings in the legs 36 and 37 of a clamp member 38 adapted to be engaged about the leg of the brazier. It will, thus be seen that the bolt 35, when tightened, contracts the clamp member 38 and also Xes or locks the clamp member against movementrelative to the link 30.

To attach the table unit 10 to the brazier for support thereby, the wing bolt 35 is loosened in the tapped opening of the flattened end portion of the brace link and slipped over the tubular leg 15. The clamp member is now moved axially or longitudinally the leg to an approximate nal position, after which the support elements 23 are engaged over the rim 22 of the iire bowl 11. As the opposite ends of the brace link are pivotally interconnected with the planar member and the clamp 38, respectively, the planar member 20 can be easily adjusted to a position in which the top surface thereof is substantially horizontal. This may require a slight adjustment of the clamp member 38 relative to the leg 15, after which the wing bolt 35 is tightened to constrict or contract the clamp 38 about the leg 15 and to further X or lock the brace link 30 in the desired or necessary angular position to maintain the planar member 20 substantially horizontal. Once the clamp has been constricted or tightened about the leg 15, the brace link and clamp member are securelyl held against movement and in turn rigidly hold the Y planar member 20 against movement. To complete the installation, the screws 28 are tightened to effectively clamp the support elements 23 to the Wall of the re bowl.

It can now be seen that the table or shelf unit 10 of the present invention provides a very convenient work surface contiguous or adjacent the grill 16 of the brazier but yet in no way complicates movement of the brazier. As the table or shelf unit is completely supported by the brazier itself, the latter can be moved about without any special attention to the table unit.

When the brazier is to be stored and storage space is at a minimum, the table or shelf unit can very quickly be disengaged from the brazier by merely first loosening the thumb set screws carried by the support elements 23 after which the shelf unit may be pivotally moved about the pivot pin to disengage the support elements 23 from the lire bowl. If desired, the clamp 38 could remain engaged with the leg 15 for the planar member could now be swung downwardly to rest against the leg 15 during storage of the brazier. If it is desired to completely separate the table unit from the brazier, this can be easily accomplished by expanding the clamp member and dis,- engaging the same from the leg 15.

I claim:

A table attachment for a barbecue having a re bowl supported by three rigid leg elements comprising: a at rigid table panel; a clamp element carried by said panel adjacent each of the opposite ends thereof for clampingly engaging the Wall of said bowl; a rigid elongate support element; means pivotally connecting one end of said support element to the underside of said table panel intermediate said clamp elements; a third clamp element to engage with one of the legs of the barbecue at a selected point thereon; and means pivotally connecting the opposite end of said elongate support element to said third clamp element, whereby said table panel is wholly supported by said barbecue and is movable therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 861,810 Coblentz July 30, 1907 1,094,208 Howe Apr. 2l, 1914 1,308,350 Gay luly 1, 1919 2,063,819 Mattson Dec. 8, 1936 2,319,499 Geissler May 18, 1943 2,668,042 Persinger et al Oct. 23, 1956 2,776,177 Vance Jan. 1, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 418,922 Great Britain Nov. 2, 1934 

